Warmth
by TL-chan
Summary: Becuase it gets kind of cold when there's no sun. Just a bit of preseries fluff involving, you guessed it, Buguese and Aqune.


AN: Pre-series, just because it came to me that there were years of history in the Inner World before Hunter arrived. Due to the fact that this is a fanfiction from an unfinished work, there exists the chance of it being AU. I didn't take this entirely seriously and I don't expect anyone else to.

Warmth

The first winter snow began to fall upon the Inner World. Buguese stood and watched it, cringing in annoyance.

"Ever since the Oracle rid us of our sun, it did more than plague our world in darkness. Whenever it snows, it takes forever to melt away!" he stated to himself in aggravation.

Disgusted by the sight of the snow, Buguese turned around and went inside. He wanted to try and distract himself from it for as long as possible. However, just as soon as he made it inside he was greeted by one on Mantid's spy bugs.

"Pipipipi Pipipi," it chirped, giving out orders.

"I see," he stated. "Of course. As much as I believe Grasshop should've been given the menial task of gathering food for us, if that is what Lord Mantid desires than I shall do it for him." Loyally, he immediately prepared for his task. There was only one thing he particularly needed.

"Come with me, Aqune!" he called to the human girl who was constantly kneeling and chanting. "I'm in need of your assistance."

"Yes, Master," said Aqune, who submissively went to Buguese's side. "With what… may I ask?" questioned Aqune as they rode off on Buguese's snail-shaped ship.

"Because of the miserable snow," began Buguese "Our already scarce supply of food will soon be covered up for many months. Therefore, we must gather a large enough supply of food to last us through the winter."

"Right!" Aqune replied. They landed soon and began their search. It didn't take Aqune long to notice just how cold it was. In a way, she could understand why Buguese was so unhappy. Shivering from the cold breeze and the seeming increase of snowfall, she wrapped her arms around herself, trying to warm the exposed areas of her arms.

Buguese hadn't noticed her suffering yet. It wasn't as if he was focusing heavily on searching for food either. Instead, he was scowling, thinking deeply of his resent for the Oracle. He tried to shift his focus to Mantid's task for a moment, but quickly grew impatient. So far, he had found nothing good. He turned to Aqune to question her on her progress.

That was when he noticed. Aqune was freezing. Buguese hadn't fully considered it, but despite the fact that Aqune was a warrior, she was still human. The extreme cold winters in his world didn't really suit humans, at least if they were outdoors for an extended period of time.

"Come here!" he called. He felt bad for the girl, wanting to do something for her. While he generally hated humans, this one was an exception.

Aqune was hesitant, but still approached the Insector. She kept her arms wrapped even tighter, getting colder still. She stopped for a moment, having to sneeze, but then continued on.

"It's alright," stated Buguese, nearly unemotionally. Aqune heard a swift, swooshing sound and noticed that Buguese had drawn her into his cape. "I don't want you to get sick," he continued. "Though if you did, the Oracle would be to blame. I wouldn't be surprised if she would betray even her supporters."

Aqune nodded. She felt warm, and so despite Buguese's comment about the Oracle, she was contented. Her peace was temporarily halted by another sudden sneeze. She leaned in closer to Buguese, feeling a bit better.

"We need to move," said Buguese. "It will keep our bodies warmer." Making sure to keep Aqune close to him, he began to move faster until finally they had moved out of Insector territory, to a place where green plants still grew. There, they would have no trouble finding food. However, maybe it wasn't the best idea for them to have gone to that location. Then, Buguese wouldn't have known.

He snarled. Aqune may have been buried in his cape, but she could immediately tell that he was angry.

"Master, what's wrong?" she asked. But soon after, she understood. She was warm.

"Why does the snow not fall in this place?" Buguese questioned. All around him was untainted grass and trees.

"I don't know," replied Aqune honestly.

"It must be the Oracle!" Buguese declared. "Why does she get such satisfaction out of playing tricks on me, leading us Insectors to suffering?" Buguese's fists clenched tightly.

"Maybe… the snow just hasn't reached here yet," suggested Aqune.

"_Of course that's not the case,"_ Buguese thought to himself. _"It will likely snow here eventually, but the Oracle clearly still wishes to punish us. Aqune simply doesn't understand… because nobody's ever told her." _Buguese felt that he couldn't snap at her, if only for that reason. She was only trying to help him. She always did, even if it was only because he took her in. Buguese did appreciate that. Even though Aqune was being used, she willingly supported the Insectors, without even knowing their motives.

"The reason doesn't matter. Let's get to work," Buguese replied.

"Yes," responded Aqune. The two got to work and gathered as much as they could before making their way back to the ship. As they walked, they eventually retuned to the point where the snow fell. Aqune felt a chill down her back. The thought of going back to Buguese was tempting, but she wouldn't do it without permission. She wondered why she even wanted to. Buguese wasn't the sweetest of people. Still, there was something warming about him. Maybe it was just because she was so cold, but she couldn't escape the feeling.

Achoo!

She had produced yet another sudden sneeze. Afterwards, she began to feel dizzy, but she caught herself, also taking care not to drop the food.

"Aqune!" yelled Buguese.

This shocked the girl. Did Buguese just yell to her in concern? Still feeling a bit dizzy, Aqune put her had to her forehead. While the rest of her body was cold, there she was hot. So she really was sick after all. The warmth was powerful. Just as soon as Aqune noticed this, she felt less and less cold. It was by no means a comfortable warmth though… not like before, not like Buguese.

Buguese approached her.

"_Don't," _Aqune thought to herself. She knew Buguese disliked the Oracle, even though this didn't make sense to her. She didn't want him to discover that she was sick, as if her sneezing and near falling over didn't already hint it enough. Even still, it would just make him angrier.

It was too late though. Buguese had placed down what he had gathered on the snow-covered ground. He scooped up Aqune in his arms.

"It's as I thought," said Buguese. "Just rest and I'll get you back to the ship. I can take care of Lord Mantid's duties later."

Aqune decided to trust him. It wasn't like she had much choice though. She closed her eyes, taking in his warmth once more.

"_How beautiful you are,"_ Buguese thought to himself. _"It's a pity that even you have to suffer from the Oracle's curse."_

Buguese carried Aqune back to the ship, as promised. She had fallen asleep. He placed her down gently, placing his hand on her forehead. His Aqune was still hot, still sick. Seeing her this way reminded Buguese again of what she obviously was, of the Aqune that existed before she became the fearsome warrior that the Insectors had created. She was just a weak human, truly what he hated, unquestionably an Insector's inferior. But this one, he cared about. He leaned over to kiss her forehead, still warm, before returning to the snow.


End file.
